Hollow building block a



Nov. 9 1926.

' F. T. HEATH HOLLOW BUILDING BLOCK AND SYSTEM OF WALL- CGNSTRUCTIONOriginal Filei-April 4.71923 S SheetS-Sheet 1 v gmenfoz qmzmwjmazm R16,46fi

Now '9,- 19 26 F. 'r. HEATH HGLLOW BUILDING BLdCK AND SYSTEM OF WALLCONSTRUCTION Original iled April 4. 192: SSheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 9 1926..

7 F. T. HEATH Original Filed pr 4, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

Reissued .Nov. 9, l 926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK TWICHELL HEATH, 0F CQLUMBUS, OHIO.

HOIiLO'W BUILDING BLOCK AND SYSTEM OF \VALL CONSTRUCTION.

Original No. 1.544,577, dated July 7, 1925, Serial No. 629,818, filedApril 4, 1923. Application for reissue filed September 2, 1926. SerialNo. 133,270. 1

This invention relates to a system of wall construction, and as a basisof the system, the invention involves the creation of a hollow buildingblock or tile having certain fundamental characteristics of proportionsand shape, whereby all the known requirements and bearing wallconstruction may be fulfilled. The requirements of hollow wallconstructions and the ideal attainment contemplates economy ofmanufacture, the ease in burning, facility of shipment, convenience ofplacement in the wall structure fordetinite thicknesses of walls as wellas at offsets, corners, jambs, pilasters and the like. Furthermore,these conditions must bemet by a block capable of maintaining universalvertical alignment of the webs and shells of the blocks throughout allparts of the wall.

A wall built in accordance with my invention will have the advantage ofthe added strength obtained by the multiple bonding arrangement betweenthe blocks in alternate courses. The bond is effected between equalsurface portions of adjacent blocks resulting in a bond of maximumstrength which could not be obtained were the bonding portions ofunequal area. The use of a cubical block assures a perfect andcontinuous bond regardless of the side upon which the block is laid. Thefact that a cubic element is used as a basis of the wall structurefacilitates the bond between equal portions, while permitting the use ofeven fractions of'the cube unit formin the end closures, jams, offsets,pilasters an corners. By the present invention, I am enabled toaccomplish all of these and other objects and advantages by the use of asimple easily manufactured, and conveniently handled voided blockdesigned upon a mathematical principle such that it maybe divided intopartsand .used in multiples of its parts or of itself with the voidseither horizontal or vertical, and with the greatest convenience andwithout sacrificing capability of carrying the greatest possible loadwhich the mortar itself in the wall will sustain.

In carrying out this invention, I have analyzed all these requirementsand by the use of a fundamental principle have made a composite block ofuniform hollow elementsintegrally connected and of such size andrelationship that all the conditions anddesirable features of hollowload' requirements for this character of load hearing hollow masonry arefulfilled.

In the drawings, Fig.1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a concept ofa multiple of a cubic unit; Fig. 2 illustrates these units in atheoretical block with the walls of these cubes integrally connectedwhile maintaining the ideal ratios; Fig. 3 is in embodiment of the blockof Fig. 2 in a practical form of block; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustratepractical embodiments of a three quarter, half and a quarter cube,respectively, of the composite block; Fig. 7 is a perspective view orseveral courses of a wall constructed of the block possessing variouscharacteristics of which the present invention is ca able, the uppermostcourse of the wall being raised for clearness of illustration; this viewshowing a wall of a thickness of twice that of the composite unit block;Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the wall construction comprise-dessentially of a single thickness of units; Fig. 9 is a similar viewillustrating-a wall of one and one half units thickness;

.Fig. 10 is a vertical section through a wall and-pilaster as at theline 1010 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view illustrating thepyramid bond effect of which this block is capable.

Referring particularly to Fig.1, to illustrate the designing of thecomposite unit, assume first that a block in the form of a cube isdesired, as obviously it may then take any position in the wall. Now thevolume of the cubic space which such a block will occupy in the wall isslightly greater than the block, itself, because of the thickness of themortar which may be placed.

upon any or all of its surfaces. The com,- posite cubical unit which isto occupy the theoretical cubic space in the wall is designed upon basicelements in the form of cubes. I, therefore, conceive a theoreticalcubic element a, consisting of a hollow square, that is having a void a.Now because the composite block is smaller by the thickness of onemortar joint or bed, which may be upon any face, this element iscorrespondingly smaller than its proportion ofthe theoretic cube of thecomposite block. A most convenient size will allow the use of a basecube element about the width of an ordinary brick and eight of thesecubes would comprise the composite cube. To

make these elements intoa block-of practical form requires that thewalls or shells of the elements be continued and integrally con--nected. When this is done, the result is the block A shown in. Fig. 2,showing the side walls of all the base cube elements joined, with theresult that the voids extend clear through'the larger element, and ithas four complete sides surrounding these longitudinal voids. Furtherinspectionof Fig. 1 will show that any surface of the cube may beconsidered as being divided into four equal square bonding areas whichare in fact the separate and single outer surfaces of the small cubicelements a.

These four square units are equal in size and are spaced apart by across-shaped area, each arm of the cross having a width equal to thethickness'of a mortar joint.

To make this relationship clear, We may assume that a theoretical cube Abe divided into smaller cubes, each having a dimension of w. The largercube has then 2:0 for each of its three dimensions, while the actualcomposite block has a dimension of 2a minus the thickness of a mortarbed or oint.

For practical purposes, the, composite block mayfbe extruded from a diecontinuously, the elements being cut. by a moving wire as is usual froma column of clay so formed, into lengths equivalent to the otherdimensions of the block. The corners where the webs and shells meet arerounded to prevent cracking during the burning of the ware in the kilnsand also to facilitate the use of suitable dies through which the claymay be extruded.

Designating the finishedblock of Figs. 3,

'10, we may note that its four outer walls are braced by double crosswebs 10, continuous through the b ock and joining near the center of theblock, being separated by voids 11, and a small central void 11, andbecause this block still holds the relationship described in connectionwith Fig. 1 ,jthe void 11 corresponds to the thickness of a mortarjoint, the advantage of which will presently appear in the illustrativewalls.

The manner of division of the blocks .may be by the use'of doubleadjacent wires as the clay is extruded, so placed that the block 10 ofFig. 3 may be cut to form a three quarter block as shown. in Fig. 4., ormay be divided in two such half blocks as Fig. 5 or further divided intoquarter blocks of Fig.

I 6, designated respectively 15, 12'and 14. Bv

reason of thealignment of the Voids 11, and 11 therewith, a blow of amasons hammer or trowel may divide or split one of the blocks 10 intoits halves or quarters separating it between the webs 10*. This aflordsconvenience in case the workman has not at hand the particular divisionhe needs at the moment.

Among the considerations determining voids.

the dimensions of an ideal load bearing hollow building blocks are; thatit may be used for walls varying in thickness by units of measure towhich architects and builders are accustomed; that laws of variouscountries usually require hollow load bearing walls to have verticallyaligned load hearing members, that is webs and shells, at statedintervals transversely throughout the wall; and it is necessary that themultiple unit be of such size that walls may be laid very rapidly andyetthe blocks may be not too large to be easily handled by the 'workmen.Allot these conditions may be ful filled by the selection for anelemental cube dimension substantially equivalent to the width of thestandard brick. There are then two load bearing webs or shells for eachbrick width throughout the thickness of a wall. The dimension of thecube in any one direction being that of two brick widths plus a mortarjoint. The dimension w therefore may be considered as correspondingsubstantially to that of the width of a brick plus one mortar joint incommon use in any particular locality. NVhile such a dimension is merelyillustrative, it is extremely practical because it permits theproportionate voiding of the composite block and allows proper thicknessof the webs and shells of the block for practical requirements. Thewalls may then be built to vary in thickness by multiples of thedimension as. Thus a hollow wall of the thickness of as may be laid upof half blocks or quarter blocks. of Figs. 5 and 6. A wall of thethickness of 2a: may be laid upB of full blocks. having a thickness of3m, 492, etc., may include whole blocks and its divisions with thedesirable cross bonds. Such walls are illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9. It isclear that as these walls are shown, a wall such as in Fig. 7 will beone mortar joint thickness less than exactly the distance 4w, becausethere is always one mortar joint less than the nurlrliber of bare cubestransversely of the we Referring particularly to Fig. 7, I have hereshown a wall construction having the thickness of 4m, and having loadbearing characteristics by a vertical alignment of the webs and I haveaccomplished closed transverse and longitudinal bonds, etc. The upperraised course is designated M, shown in this position to illustrate itsrelationship to the blocks in the course below. It will be noted thatthis course at the left consists of two series of blocks 1.0 laid tobring the voids horizontally and these voids are closed at the cornerend by two half blocks 12, one shown with its voids vertically and theother with its-voids horizontally. The right hand portion of this courseconsists of a central series of blocks 10 with the voids horizontally,at each side The walls above.

left of the View the course Noting the pilaster of which is a series ofblocks 12 with the voids horizontally while an end may be formed byturning the central block so that its voids run transversely of the walland the two blocks 12 with their voids vertically. A pilasterconstruction is illustrated at P, wherein the upper course, a block 10,is interposed between two upended halves 12 with its voids runningparallel to the wall and the method of bonding these blocks to the Wallappears when the course below is examined. This pilaster, it will beseen, has a dimension 2a; projecting outwardly from the wall and a widthof 4%. The transverse bonding between adjacent courses appears when itis noted that at the N consists-of a middle series of blocks 10 at eachside of which are half blocks 12. At the corner a block 12 is turned atright angles to the corresponding corner blocks of the course In formingthe corner the crossing ofwebs and shells in the blocks forming thelower course by those in the blocks forming the upper course isminimized by placing all of the blocks 10 in the middle series so thatthe voids run in the direction of the series. construction, it will beseen that the inner series of half blocks 12 is interrupted by two fullblocks 10 bonded bythe blocks 10 and 12 above and below, over-lappingthe projecting into the wall a distance of m and outwardly therefrom,while to complete the pilaster for this course, two half blocks 12 areused.

In the end construction at the right, two half blocks close thelongitudinal voids of the double row of blocks 10. The blocks 12 arebonded by overlapping portions of the blocks 10 and 12 above and below,while the corners are completed as before.

Attention is called to the fact that at the corners, pilasters, and .allsimilar places,

where portions of the blocks are used theyare not only bonded intoposition by a perfeet pyramidal bond but the webs and shells thereof liein true vertical planes and webs and shells of blocks above and below.This is particularly clearly shown at the left of this figure when it isnoted that the course 0 corresponds with the course M and in thesectional showing it can be noted that blocks 10 extend over half of thearea of a half block 12, and that a transverse bond through the wall iseffected. It is not to be inferred that only a transverse bond isefi'ected, but it will be seen that the block 10 lies between equalportions which are described above as the outer surfaces-of the cubicelements and is bonded with these equal portions above and below. Thevertical center line of the block 10, regardless of the position inwhich it is laid, lies in the line of intersection of the verticalmortar joints. The simtwo blocks 10 and -z'ontal and closed at plicityof starting and finishing courses in a manner to effect this so-calledrunning bond is apparent, for examplethe course M will be started by twohalf blocks 12 with the voids vertically and a block 10 with T0 voidstransversely of the wall while the course below would be started byvertical halves as, shown.

A more simple construction is shown in Fig. 8 where the course Kconsists of blocks 10. Except at'the corners and pilaster, this wall hasa thickness of one composite unit, or 2:0, as in each case, minus amortar joint thickness. The corner is formed by half block 12 and theend similarly formed as shown at the right, while the course J below, ais the same except that at its corner, the half block 12 is turned 'ntothe-opposite direction to allow for the overlapping of the blocks 10 toprovide the running bond and at the end at the right a full block 10 maybe conveniently used as shown. The pilaster having a dimension as by 200(approximately) in the course J, consists of a block 12, shown with thevoids vertical, while it is bonded into the wall above and below byblocks 10 extending into the wall.

In Fig. 9 I have shown an illustrative wall having a thickness of oneand one half units (or 3.12 minus a mortar joint thickness). I have hereillustrated a different manner or" making pilasters and convenientlybonding them into the wall, Here the upper course R is shown at theright as consisting of 'a series of blocks 10 laid with the voidshorithe corner by a half block 12, while at the inner side the haltblocks 12 are laid with the voids horizontal.

Extending to the left from the corner, it is convenient to simplycontinue the outer series of half blocks, while the inner series is thenmade up ofwho le blocks 10; and end or corner blocks at the extreme lefthaving the voids turned vertically. Transverse bond is effected asbefore by alternately placing the half blocks at the inside and outsideof the wall. It also follows thatalternately placing the half block atthe inside and outside of the wall as shown results in a multiple bondbetween equal portions of bonding blocks, both longitudinally andtransversely of the wall, so that a certain one quarter squareinterbonding unit of area is maintained common to all blocks.

Here is shown pilaster P mension of 2w by 200 (approximately as noted)bonded into the wall inthe course R by whole blocks interrupting thehalf block series. Outside of this is a half block 12. In. the courseSthe whole block simply stands outside of the series of blocks 10, thebonding being effected by the blocks 10 of the course R and the coursebelow.

, In the pilaster P shown .in the left part of the wall, one utility ofthe three quarter having a dicross section of Fig.

and shells, in the body of the wall, as well as in the pilaster.

This ideal wall construction also carries out a theme of pyramidalbonding result- -ing from the composite block comprising a developmentof a multiple of elemental cubes as above described. \Vherever a fullblock is used in a multiple thickness .of wall, it overlaps bothtransversely and longitudinally of the course with an area of blocksabove and below, the overlap being in' any direction nearly a fulldistance of m. .For example, the block desighated-for convenience 10y inthe course N of Fig. 7 stands over adjacent corners of four blocks 10below and stands under adjacent corners of four blocks 10 above.

To illustrate more clearly, the principle of the pyramidal bondaccompanying bonding in both directions horizontally of a wall,

have shown in Fig. 11, a pyramidal pile of blocks 10. i L

Itwill be noted that the uppermost block restsupon four. blocks 10occupying an area on each of a: by a: (minus a one-half thickness ofmortar joint in each direction). These four blocks in turn each restupon four blocks below, occupying corresponding areas on eacha When sopositioned, it will be immaterial whether the voids are horizontal orvertical because in either instance, the voids 11 will stand over mortarspaces or joints between the blocks below. It will be clear that a wallthe full thickness of either of these with the use of half and that thispyramidal bond will be throughout;

It is obvious that, having established the theme of a composite blockconsisting of multiples of the units of an elemental hollow cube, thismultiple may be any number of effected the dimension as, yet stillaccomplish many of the purposes of the present invention,

but to accomplish this pyramidal bond and cause the block with itsdivisions to be the most-unlikely; to result in error in construc- Ition of walls, the composite block should be 2w by 2:12 by 2% withprovision for mortar.

' cause the present habits blocks in courses above A mason told that hemust overlap the and below in both directions needs no furtherinstruction, be-

countries assures the results of the carrying out of the presentinvention. to the end of' courses may be completed. blocks or wholeblocks of masonry in all.

attaining all of the desirable characteristics of hollow'wallconstruction without sacrificing the load bearing characteristics of thewall.

I claim:

- 1. A hollow building block, the edges of a shell forming four whichdefine a cube, sides thereof, interior transverse double webs connectingthe shell, the webs being spaced apart a distance equal to the thicknessof a mortar joint, the block being thus divided into four units each'square in cross-section and each of which is double the length of asideof a theoretical cube plus the mortar space, and the block capable ofdivision into half, quarter or three-quarterportions by being subdividedthrough the mortar joint spaces.

2. A wall construction consisting of building blocks described in claim1, in which all the blocks in the shells of the cross sectionally squareunits thereof in load-bearing coincidence with the corresponding shellsin the blocks of the courses aboveand below with some of the blocks laidto have the voids thereof extending vertically and other of the blockslaid with the voids extending horizontally.

A hollowload-bearing wall, consisting of building blocks all made fromthe same pattern and whose edges define a cube, the block shells havinginterior transverse double webs spaced apart. a distance equal to thedistance of a mortar joint, thus dividing the blocks into four crosssectionally square units,'each being double the length of a side of atheoretical cube plus the mortor joint, the wall structure comprisingsuch composite cubical blocks or divisions thereof being laid in evenhorizontal courses with the ends and Corners and pilasters of the wallembodying whole blocks or block divisions with the voids thereof setvertically with every cubical element of the blocks having at least twowalls in load bearing vertical alignment with the webs and shells of theblocks above and below and all the blocks being set in the wall in apyramidal bonding relationship.

4. A hollow building block the edges of which define a cube and havingan outer shell forming four sides thereof and interior transverse doublewebs connecting the shell wall are set to have the and forming with theshell a plurality of theoretical smaller cubes having the tl1eoret- --icshell Walls thereof joined by portions of the outer shell and of thetransverse webs which portions are of a width corresponding to thethickness of a mortar joint.

5. A hollow load bearing building wall consisting of cubically formedbuilding blocks comprising a four sided shell having two pairs oftransverse interior webs, each air connecting two opposite sidesof. theshell, and the-web spacing being such that the blocks may be dividedinto quarter sections having side dimensions which. areequal to one halfthe dimension of a cubical block minus one-half t'he thickness. of amortar joint, said blocks being laid in the wall in .even horizontalcourses, the blocks in one course overlapping full blocks in theadjacent courses above and below a distance equal to the side dimensionofsaid quartersections of the block-and with every quarter part in theWall whether comprised in whole or'h alf or quarter blocks having atleast two shells or web members in vertical and load bearing alignmentwith corresponding members above and-below.

j 6. In a wall structure composed of tile Y formed in cubesand-fractions thereof, the

- bonding units separated by the thickness of "a mortar joint, all ofthe tile andfractions surfaces of the cubes defining foursquare thereofbeing laid in the wall in horizontal courses with a'common verticaldimension, ,the-walljhaving a bond between tiles and fractions thereofin adjacent courses elfect- 7 ed by the four bonding units in thesurface of a cubical tile overlying .four bonding units in a pluralityof cubical tile or fractions thereof in the next course:

7 A hollow wall structure composed of voided blocksformed in cubes, halfcubes and quarter cubes, said blocks being laid in horizontal coursesand spaced apart the thickness of a mortar joint and wherein eachcubebetween the top and bottom courses'is interposed in diagonal offsetbonding relation between equal square surface areas of other cubes aboveand below, each surface area being equal to the area of the end of aquarter cube block.

8. A hollow wall structure composed of voided blocks formed in cubes andhalf cubes, the blocks being similarly arranged with a common verticaldimension in alternate horizontal courses and spaced apart the thicknessof a mortar joint, the cubical blocks in a course being laterallydisplaced substantially one half a cube thickness relative to the cubesin the adjacent course and also-a longitudinally displaced substantiallyone half a cube thickness relative to the cubes in the said adjacentcourse.

9. A hollow wall structure composed of voided blocks formed of wholecubes, half cubes and quarter cubes, said blocks being laid with acommon vertical dimension in each course and with some of the blockshaving their voids extendinghorizontally and with each cubical block inthe'wall be-,

'relation between surface areas equal to the ing interposed in diagonaloffset bonding j endof one of the said quarter cubes and bonded withfour other blocks above and below, said blocks being spaced apart the Ithickness of a mortar joint, the wall having end closures includingcubical blocks and fractional blocks with the voids thereof disposedvertically, said fractional blocks being set to conform to the bondingrelationship of the c'ubicalblocks in the wall.

10. In a hollow wall structure composed of voided blocks formed in cubesand fractions thereof, with some of the blocks laid in'the wallwiththeir voids extending horizontally, said wall comprising horizontalcourses of uniform height, having a greater thickness than the cube, andhaving the end closures formed of cubes and the said fractions thereofwith the voids of the closure members disposed vertically,

11. A hollow wall structure composed of voided cubical blocks landlesser blocks, the wall having a thickness of odd multiples of thetheoretical cube, the voids in the blocks extending both horizontallyand vertically in the body of the wall and the end closures includingthe cubical blocks with the voids thereof disposed vertically.

12. A hollow wall structure composed of voided cubical blocks'and voidedhalf cubical blocks, the full cube surfaces each having four squarebonding areas separated by the thickness of a mortar joint, four sidesof the half cubes each having two such square bonding areas spaced apartthe thickness of a mortar joint and the said cubes and half cubes beinglaid in-the wall structure in horizontal courses with the commondimension measurable vertically and some of the blocks b'ein laid withtheir'voids extending horizontzfily, and with a running bond betweenalternate courses equal in both directions from the mortar joint, byreason of an overlap equal to the width of said square bonding areas,and the corners and ends of the wall closed with this uniform bondingrelationship by the use of half and full cubes in alternate courses setwith their voids vertical at such ends and corners.

Signed at Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, this 19thday'of August, 1926.

FREDERICK TWICHELL HEATH.

